This Former Royal Residence in a Tiny Portuguese Village Is Now a Luxury Hotel and Spa — With Lush Gardens and Just 21 Rooms

For visitors to Portugal, destinations like Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley, and the Algarve often rank high on must-see lists. But rarely do they venture to the country’s heartland, where stone-cloaked historic villages, mountainous nature-first expanse, and verdant wine countries characterize nearly every highway exit. In the 15-plus years since I first visited Portugal, which has included more than 30 trips, the country’s Centro region has become one of my favorites precisely because international tourism is still relatively low. Still, infrastructure — like luxury hotels — has been slowly popping up, giving everyone more reasons to explore a vastly underrated area.

I stayed in one such newly opened hotel in the village of Santar in March. Santar, a three-hour drive north of Lisbon or 90 minutes southeast of Porto, is a teeny-tiny hamlet of approximately 1,000 inhabitants, but it has recently become known for its collection of gorgeous gardens as part of a beautification initiative started about a decade ago. The nearly 50-acre landscaping project makes public previously private gardens on noble properties. Valverde Santar Hotel & Spa puts you right in the middle of it all.

The 21-room Relais & Chateaux hotel has a lot going for it, but what it excels at best is how it honors the building’s historic bones and the region’s rural modesty while still delivering luxury, modern hospitality. Yes, nothing around it is like it; Santar is so tiny and unassuming. But my three-day stay here never felt incongruous to its surroundings.

Tucked into a grand, aristocratic building surrounded by its own vineyards and gardens, Valverde Santar was formerly owned by the House of Bragança, Portugal’s ruling monarchy from 1640 to 1910. Many regal elements remain, from hand-painted ceilings to furniture sourced in various parts of Europe. Countless sitting rooms are swathed in luxe fabrics (like curtains in pastoral prints) and decorated with gold-framed portraits of subjects from olden times.

As heavy and antique as this all sounds, Porto-based design firm Atelier Bastir, who oversaw the property’s restoration, was able to add a genuinely contemporary touch. Many of the rooms are done with brightening pastels, the outdoor patio where breakfast is served features stripe fabrics and summer-ready raffia chairs, and there are surprising choices like a sculptural chandelier over a long marble-top table where I lounged for an hour or so sipping coffee more than once during my stay.

Lounging, lingering, and savoring Valverde Santar’s amenities are how you’ll best get a sense of its modern take on hospitality. The village of Santar is in the Dão wine country, which is slowly emerging as one of Portugal’s most exciting following decades of producing subpar juice, and you can certainly spend your time exploring beyond the grounds of the hotel. But you can also choose to stay put.

It was too cold to take advantage of the pretty outdoor pool, but it was the perfect time of year to get acquainted with the hotel spa. There aren’t many hotels in Portugal with destination spas, but Valverde Santar is one of them. Previously the property's winery, Valverde’s relaxation destination has four treatment rooms, a large indoor pool, a sauna, a Turkish bath, and a sensory shower. There’s also a lounge where you might wait for your treatment; when the hotel is low in occupancy, like during my stay, this room might be booked for meetings and events. (I don’t know if the businessmen and women in there while I was flopping around in the pool were disturbed by my rendition of the Little Mermaid, but their presence didn’t bother me.)

Valverde Santar also has a restaurant called Memorias, helmed by local chef Luís Almeida. This is probably the most contemporary-looking space in the whole property, with oversized chandeliers and macrame wall fixtures. From the kitchen, the art Almeida plates pays homage to central Portugal’s heartier kitchen: The rabbit-stuffed pastry (typical of the region’s culinary heritage) was addictive and surprising — it's one of my favorites from dinner there. From the surrounding vineyards comes a wine project exclusive to the hotel, but the larger drink menu offers an excellent opportunity to learn just how tasty Dão’s wines have become.

Valverde Santar is the second property of a growing local chain of five-star hotels. The original, Valverde Lisboa Hotel & Garden, opened in the Portuguese capital 10 years ago. With its historic bones matched with stunning design, thoughtful local cooking, and lots of places to kick back (whether by the small pool or in one of the comfy chairs around the leafy courtyard around which the townhouse orbits), it delivers a homey ambiance while still giving you a sense of place. Valverde Santar, though less than a year old, aims to follow in her older sibling's footsteps.

To learn more about what it’s like to stay, here’s my review.

How to Book

• Address: Av. Viscondessa de Taveiro Casa das Fidalgas, Santar 3520-147 Portugal
• Phone: +351 232 394 800
• Website: valverdesantar.com

The Rooms

The 21 rooms and suites — uniquely brought to life by the designers at Atelier Bastir — are spread across the main house and an adjacent building. Because of the property’s historic bones, every unit features its own layout, shape, and size, starting at a generous 240 square feet for a classic room and up to 700 square feet for the Duque of Viseu Suite.

While variety is the name of the game here, what remains consistent throughout is the dedication to honoring the house’s historic foundations. Some rooms come with sensational historic details like wood-paneled ceilings, hand-painted surfaces, and even an enormous glass-case bookshelf panel original to the property.

A pastel color palette adds a lightness everywhere you go, as do surprising moments of whimsy, whether it’s the quirky and dramatic paintings or the ceramic plates that have been fixed on the ceiling of one of the meeting rooms.

Food and Drink

I loved exploring Valverde Santar through the various rooms set up for eating and drinking.

Memorias is the main restaurant where Chef Almeida highlights regional culinary traditions bolstered by produce sourced from nearby gardens. Because the hotel is located in the center of the country, meat and produce play a bigger role in the menu, so a plate of carrots is prepared in various ways, plump ravioli is stuffed with foraged mushrooms, and rabbit pastry is a hearty representation of the region. But you are still in Portugal, so the water and seafood are never too far away — the soupy rice-laden main course loaded with lobsters and cilantro was one of my favorite dinner orders.

The rest of the hotel can be used to enjoy other moments of foodie delights. There are two choices for breakfast: the outdoor patio that looks out to the gardens and pool or the communal marble table inside. It was still pretty chilly during my stay, especially in the mornings, so the latter was where you would have found me and a handful of other guests tucking into our omelets. Made-to-order hot dishes like various egg preparations and carob pancakes are complemented with a tightly curated buffet of Portuguese cheeses and charcuterie, fresh fruit, jams, cakes, and cereal. Later in the day, you can enjoy afternoon tea service in the charming Tea Room. There’s also a vibey lounge with an honor bar for a sharp nightcap.

Activities and Experiences

On-site activities orbit around relaxation: There’s a fabulous spa with an indoor pool and an outdoor pool for when it gets sweltering in the summer. (Central Portugal can often have some of the hottest days in the country, so the outdoor pool offers a refreshing respite.) Otherwise, you can stroll the grounds at your leisure. In fact, booking one of the suites includes a guided tour of Santar’s various gardens, which is likely the reason you’re there to begin with. There’s also a small gym in the main house, and the spa team can organize guided yoga and pilates in different parts of the property.

Other bookable experiences specifically showcase the immediate area: a visit to the produce gardens followed by a cooking class with Luis Almeida, a wine-tasting session of Dão producers, croquet on the lawn, and picnics.

The Spa

One of the best features of Valverde Santar is its two-floor spa, which used to be a winery. It has an indoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, and an experiential shower. Since destination spas are uncommon in the area, this is an excellent addition to the local hospitality scene. The full menu of skincare and body services is courtesy of Vinoble Cosmetics, a vegan beauty brand from Austria. The Belvedere, an open-air wood pergola in the vineyards about five minutes away from the main house, can also be the site of a stress-busting massage.

Family-friendly Offerings

While not explicitly set up for visiting families (there aren’t connecting rooms here), Valverde Santar can accommodate a small brood in its larger suites, many of which come with a separate living space. More experiential offerings that might appeal to families include picnics, croquet on the lawn, and various packages that add riding lessons, fruit-picking in the orchard, and treasure hunts. Babysitting services are available upon request.

Accessibility and Sustainability

One of its 21 rooms and suites is ADA-compliant, and there is an elevator. Regarding sustainability, the hotel prioritizes local sourcing whenever possible, especially with its own vineyards and produce gardens. It also uses biofuel for heating.

Location

Reaching the pocket of central Portugal where Valverde Santar is located is easy if you’re driving (it’s three hours from Lisbon or half that from Porto), but public transport is a little tricky since there isn’t a direct train line from Porto or Lisbon, so consider renting a car. Viseu, the largest city in the area, is less than 30 minutes away and can be a great place to explore in the early evening, followed by dinner. (For instance, on one of my nights there, I dined at Flora, an intimate natural wine bar that serves small, shareable plates.) A car also lets you visit nearby attractions, like Serra da Estrela (the country’s highest mountain) and local vineyards.

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

A boutique hotel and member of Relais & Châteaux, Valverde Santar operates independently of points programs. Expect high-season pricing from June to September and the holidays (average of $650 per night), but the rest of the year will have more favorable rates (around $400 per night). The hotel also builds budget-friendly packages that might include activities and spa treatments to lure off-season visitors.